63.4% of Tennesseans could be obese by 2013: report

Here's a consideration for those looking to lower health care costs: Tennessee is on track to more than double its statewide obesity rate by 2030, an epidemic that could cost tax payers billions of dollars.

The "F as in Fat" report, released Tuesday by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, estimates that Tennessee will be the fourth fattest state by 2030, with an obesity rate that could reach 63.4 percent. That’s up from 29 percent in 2011, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

For those keeping tally, Tennessee could save nearly $14 billion if the state reduced its body mass index by 5 percent, the report found. For instance, a 6-foot-tall, 300-pound man has a body mass index of roughly 40, depending on the ratio of muscle to fat.A 5 percent, or 2 point, reduction would mean losing 20 pounds.

Across the United States, 39 states, including Tennessee, could have adult obesity rate rates above 50 percent by 2030. Mississippi could have the highest obesity rate at 66.7 percent, and Colorado could have the lowest obesity rate for any state, at 44.8 percent.

Medical costs associated with treating preventable obesity-related diseases nationwide are estimated to increase to $66 billion per year by 2030. The survey estimated that the loss in economic productivity as a result could be between $390 billion and $580 billion annually by 2030.